Maybe He'll Stay
by Team M
Summary: The shoutouts on stage, the publicity stunts, the boyfriends and girlfriend of the past two years, yet, just maybe he'll stay.


**Maybe He'll Stay  
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"Hey, it's-" I wasn't gonna listen to that voicemail. Couldn't. I pressed 7 to delete it and moved on to the next message.

"I know-" Seven.

"Could you pick up-" Seven.

I put down my phone, not bothering. He'd been calling me for days and I knew I should answer, but it was so hard. I didn't know what he was going to say and he'd no doubt be mad. He sent text messages but I deleted them. He sent emails but I didn't read them. Because honestly, I didn't want to hear what he might say.

"Miley, you in here?" My mom called into the oversized dressing room where I sat alone. Thousands of people were waiting for me in their seats, their adrenaline was rushing, yet here I was alone in a dressing room. I always find that so ironic.

"Yeah," I called back, sitting up and looking over at the door. She walked over, holding up the phone.

"You have a phone call."

"Who is it?"

"You know who," she smiled, and I knew instantly that it was Nick again. And I bet my mom just thought it was the cutest thing that he was this desperate to talk to me. But I knew better.

"I don't want to talk," I mumbled.

"Miley," she warned.

I took the phone from her and laid back down on the couch, just holding it to my ear.

"Are you there?" he asked after awhile.

"Mm."

"Don't hang up," he begged.

I stayed silent.

So did he.

"Miley?"

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. My mom would kill me if I hung up. Yeah, I was doing this for her. "Hi."

"Hi," he said, breathless.

I didn't have anything else to say to him. So once again, I kept quiet.

"Why haven't you been answering my calls?"

"Oh, my phone broke."

He laughed and I smiled just from hearing it. "We both know that's a lie."

"Maybe just a little."

He chuckled again and I went further into my pillow. I never wanted to perform. I just wanted to sit there listening to him breath on the other end all night.

"What have you been doing, Miley?"

"Touring South America. Nice place, nice place. Did you know that it's-"

"You never give up, do you?" he laughed again, music to my ears. Then, his voice got lower. More like a father to a child's. "I meant on stage. I've heard the shout-outs."

"Oh." On stage. Shout-outs. What he's been calling about. Right.

"_Oh_ is right. What happened?"

"Nothing," I told him. "My management team told me to do that."

He held his breath. I know because suddenly it was silent, and Nick was not phone savvy. He had no idea where the mute button was. "Tell me the truth."

"I saw the articles, Nick," I let it out.

"Huh?"

"Delta. I saw the articles of you with her. What is this, some type of payback?"

He stuttered. "Miley – no! We're just friends."

"Look, I get that I hurt you with Liam but really? Getting an older Australian doesn't make you any better. It hurt Nick, it hurt me and I know that that's what you were trying to do. But maybe if you actually called you'd know that I broke up with him months ago. I can't understand-"

"Miley," he coaxed. I immediately stopped my rant, blushing. "I'll be down there in two days."

Then, the line went dead.

:::

I heard his voice but I refused to turn around. I didn't know what to expect. Helpful Nick was always wonderful and he made me feel ten times better about myself but if it was Disappointed Nick then I wanted to shrink away forever.

"Oh, Nick!" My mom exclaimed in surprise. I may have not told her he was coming. "Wow, it's great to see you!"

"You too, Mrs. Cyrus. Is Miley around anywhere?"

"You invite him?" One of the dancers that I actually trusted asked. She was no Mandy, but she wasn't half bad. Still, I shrugged. "Wow."

"Hm?"

"Long ass flight to make for someone you don't talk to much."

"Kick ass guys do that kinda thing," I shrugged, smirking a little. She looked at me as we both laughed.

"She should be around here somewhere – oh, there she is! See? Right there by the snack table."

The dancer laughed. "You're really gonna pretend like you can't hear all this?"

"Hear what?" I grinned.

"Hey, Miley."

Considering that I knew he was coming the shiver that creeped down my spine and the goosebumps were quite unexpected. I turned planning to act nonchalant, but that was impossible as a smile automatically made its way to my face.

"Hi, Nick."

We just stared at each other for awhile until it became awkward.

"I'm glad you came," I finally spoke up.

"Me too."

"How was your flight?"

"Long. But worth it."

I bit my lip, nodding. "Good to know."

"How you been, Mi?"

"Alright. You?"

"Okay. Worried about you, though," he admitted. "Can we go to your dressing room?"

I nodded, taking him with me. "Why are you worried about me?"

"You aren't very subtle when you're begging for attention," he told me, shutting the door. "What's been going on with you?"

"Nothing that you should be worried about, I'm fine," she promised. "You just worry about you. And Delta, of course."

"You know of Delta?"

"Me and the rest of the internet," I informed. Didn't I already mention that I knew about this new _Australian_ chick?

He let out a heavy sigh. "I thought you didn't go on that site anymore."

"Liam showed me. Thought it was ironic considering I'd broken up with him earlier that day."

"Hilarious."

"I thought so too."

Nick chuckled a little. "Delta's sweet."

"I bet."

"But I have a thing for American superstars."

"Ew, you like-"

"American _brunette_ superstars," he corrected.

"Selena?" I finished anyway.

He laughed. "Only blue eyed brunettes that smile a lot."

"Damn. Then it must not be me 'cause my smile is slowly fading."

His face fell and I cursed myself. He frowned. "Why is that?"

I put on a fake smile, hoping to keep him satisfied. "You know what they say about reality… Everyone gets hit with it eventually."

"Nah, you're my Miley," he hugged me tighter than anyone had in a long time. It was one of those hugs that left me thinking it'd be okay. "I liked you the way you were."

"I'm the same person. I just realize the truth now."

"About what?"

"Us."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"I won't laugh. You can tell me," he coaxed.

"It's just, I try to be optimistic, you know, 'cause that's the only thing that gets me through, thinking of our story as if our ending was happy, but…" I trailed off, looking up at him painfully while he did the same to me. My voice cracked and I didn't know what to do about us anymore. I was lost. I needed guidance. And I didn't realize how depressed I really was until right that second. "It's not, Nick. Our ending… It's terrible."

He stayed quiet before moving so that his head was resting on his palms as he faced the floor. The mood from before was gone, replaced with solemnity and regret. "I wish this was easier."

"Me too."

"Delta's publicity," he murmured.

I snapped my head up. "What?"

"I'm not supposed to tell," he nodded, confirming it. "But it's you. You should know."

"So, you're not-"

"No."

I nodded, playing it cool. There was an awkward tension in the air again. "Thank you for coming, Nick. It was really sweet."

"Anytime for you," he insisted. "I just wish you would've picked up earlier so this could've been fixed by now."

"Sorry," I giggled, moving over and kissing his cheek. "It probably doesn't mean much coming from me and not Selena or Delta or that other girl from London, but you are still the best boyfriend I've ever had and the standard setter. I don't tell you much, but I know how lucky I am to still have you in my life."

"Yeah?" I nodded. He smiled at me. "That means more than the world to me. Thank you. Listen, I gotta go, but we'll figure this all out when you get back in LA, okay?"

"Four days," I grinned, confirming that plan. It would be four long days.

"Just four days," he repeated, getting up, kissing my forehead, leaving. "Oh, but this can't wait four days to be clarified… It's been awhile since we've been this open with each other, I know that, but I told you something a few years ago and you seem to have forgotten it."

"That I deserve better than Liam?"

"That is true, but no," he smirked. "Remember? That I don't care what the tabloids say, Selena and London girl, and even Delta? You're better than them all combined?"

I blushed a little. "I remember."

"I will stand up for that any day."

I smiled my first real smile in six months. "Don't be shocked if I'm there in three days 'cause I want to see you so bad."

"I can't say I'd be disappointed," he laughed. "Take care, Mi. And call Demi, she misses you."

I hesitated but nodded, and since it came from him, I knew that I'd probably end up calling later and finally apologizing for everything I'd done wrong in our friendship.

"See you."

:::

"Are you okay?" Brandi looked at me on the plane as we flew back.

I was better than okay, though. I was perfect. For the first time, everything in my life was fixed. Demi. Nick… Well, Selena was a lost hope.

"Yup."

"You seem… overexcited."

"What is there to be excited about?"

"Nick is picking her up," My mom explained. My sisters face gained recognition of why I was so anxious to land. "And they're on good terms again. And he's single."

"Well, she's coming home with his purity ring tonight," Brandi muttered under her breath. I glared at her and my mom didn't hesitate to join in.

"Brandi…"

"It was a joke," she rolled her eyes.

"But Miley, I need you to remember that you have a past with him. There's a lot of history and a lot of pain there-"

"I know, Mom," I nodded. "But it's Nick. And I love him."

"I don't know if I'm comfortable-"

"I need to do this," I interrupted. "Both of us are single for the first time in years, both of us are ready to talk about everything… We've needed this chance for years and now it's here and you can't talk me out of it."

"Okay," she accepted it easier than I thought she would.

"Please put your seatbelts on as we prepare to land in LA, California," the pilot came over the intercom.

I hastily put it on, thinking the faster all of this went by the faster I'd see Nick. And in a way I guess that was true. We were on the ground in a flash and I rushed to pull my carryon out.

"Miley," I felt an arm on my shoulder and turned to see Brandi there with a big smile. "Go. We'll get your stuff. You get Nick."

They were both looking at me like I was a little fourteen year old kid again excited to see my boyfriend.

"Good luck!" My mom called after me as I rushed out the plane.

I ran up to Nick the second I saw him. I didn't think about how it might be awkward or how we weren't dating, I just thought of how I wanted nothing more than to hug him in that moment. So that's what I did. I wrapped my arms around him and just gave him the biggest the hug and he returned it.

"Have a good tour?" he asked in my ear.

"Only one thing was missing," I confirmed.

"Liam?"

I pulled away, giving him a look. "I obviously meant you."

But we were joking about it. That's good. That was progress that we were moving on from the past year and a half.

"I've missed you too."

"You wanna go to my car? I'll take you out for lunch, or if you're too tired I'll take you home."

"Lunch sounds great," I confirmed. He grabbed my hand without even realizing it and I had to bite my lip to stop the excitement from exploding within me.

"How was the flight?"

"Fast. I slept."

"You? Since when do you sleep?" he looked at me incredulously.

"Since I wanted to have energy to spend the day with you."

"Good answer."

"I know."

We walked in silence back to his car, but it was the comfortable silence. The kind that I loved because I just got to sit and think about him while being with him. The kind that made me realize how much we must love each other to be here again, holding hands and all.

"You're serious about this, right?" I couldn't help but ask. "You're willing to give us another chance? We're slowly gonna try again?"

He shook his head, but just the way he looked at me I knew we were going to be okay. Everything was fine, because this wasn't Liam or Justin or another random hookup, but Nick. The boy I knew all through growing up, the one who's family was basically mine, and the one who knew me inside and out.

"We're not just gonna try, Miley," he leaned down to my ear, making it dramatic as possible, making sure I caught the words and held them tight. "We're gonna make it this time."

**happy niley day. sorry for the shitty ending. i promised someone a happy ending and well, i dont do those often. so here ya goo. (:**


End file.
